Jonathan Class. External source
By Alexander Gomez
Seattle Mariners top prospect Jonatan Clase collected his first major league hit on debut night with an RBI in Monday’s win.
The 5-foot-9 switch-hitting outfielder is currently ranked as the Mariners’ 10th overall prospect by both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America.
At 21 years and 328 days, he was the youngest Mariners player to debut in the Major Leagues since Julio Rodríguez (21 years and 200 days on April 8, 2022 in Minnesota).
He is the first Mariners player this season to make his major league debut.
Class, it is the fourth Dominican debut in the MLB of 2024 in the Mariners’ 9-3 victory over the Reds before 16,008 spectators at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington.
He also stole a hit on a spectacular play by Elly De La Cruz at shortstop.
They raised him to Class because Dom Canzone was injured and they expect him to contribute with his game, quickly, as he did last year in the minors, with 20 home runs and a whopping 79 steals in the Minor Leagues a season ago. He was hitting .311 before his call-up to the minors this year.
In twelve games with the Tacoma Rainers, in the Pacific Coast League, AAA averaged .311 (14-for-45) with 9 runs, 4 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs, 11 RBIs, 3 stolen bases and 7 bases. by balls, getting on base with a .396 clip average and .622 slugging percentage (1.018 OPS).
In training games in 15 games during spring training he hit .321 (9 for 28) with 2 doubles, 2 RBIs and 3 stolen bases.
He played All-Star Futures at T-Mobile Park, starting the game in center field in 2023.
The Santo Domingo native ranked among the Minor League leaders in runs scored (E-10) and stolen bases (3) last season.
He is the first MILB player since statistics began to be kept in 1961 to have 20+ HR and 70+ SB in the same season.
Speed will always be the calling card, and combining those wheels with better route running should allow him to play center field in the Majors on days when Julio Rodríguez needs a break.
Class has long been touted as the fastest running back in Seattle’s system.
Jonatan is the 921st Dominican player to debut in the Major Leagues, since Osvaldo Virgíl, who played for nine years from 1956 to 1969 for New York, Detroit, Kansas City, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and San Francisco.
With the inclusion of Pedro San, Tetelo Vargas, Néstor Lambertus, Sijo Gómez, Enrique Lantigua, Horacio Martínez and Julio Báez who did it in the Negro Leagues, the number reaches 928 according to the winterballdata.com database.
He is the first Toro to debut in Seattle of the 124 players from the Eastern organization to reach the Major Leagues. Licey leads in debuts with 199, followed by Chosen (187), Águilas (162), Estrellas (133), Toros (123), Gigantes (111) and Caimanes (5).
He is the fourth Dominican to debut this year behind Dedniel Núñez (920/April 8/Mets), Wencell Pérez (919/April 8/Detroit) and Nasim Núñez (918/March 30/Washington).
After the debut of José Báez (April 6, 1977) as the first Dominican with Seattle to play for the first time, 19 Dominicans have played with the Mariners, breaking the tie with the Rays.
DEBUT ANTERIOR
DEBUTS MLB 2024
DOMINICAN DEBUTS
2024-04-16 21:04:48
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